Foot for metal furniture



Feb. 24, 1925. 1,527,198

F. J. LE BEAU FOOT FOR METAL FURNITURE Filed July 1924 Patented Feb. 24, 1925.

FERNANDO J. LE BEAU, or NILEs @ENTER; ILLINo-Is; assrerroaor o-ivnanaan T0 ERIGK==BLA=INETHELIN *AN-D' ONE-'JF'i-IIRD a erawns --Lf THELIN; Born on GHIOAGG';

ILLINOIS.

Application filed July 5,

To all rv/1.0m it may concern.

Be it known that I, FERNANDO J. Lu BEAU, a citizen of the United States, residing at Niles Center, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Feet for Metal Furniture, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to metallic furniture, particularly step ladders, having upstanding legs or braces made of commercial metallic shapes, such as I beams, channel irons, 2 bars, etc., which require at the point of contact with the floor something to rest smoothly on the floor and prevent the tearing of the floor which would take place were the commercially severed ends of the legs or uprights allowed to touch directly upon the floor.

The invention consists in the special form of stamped device providing a smooth floorengaging surface and means for attaching the same to the bottom of the leg or other member of the furniture.

The invention further consists in numerous features and details of construction which will be hereafter more fully set forth in the specification and claim.

Referring to the drawings in which like numerals designate the same parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side and Figure 2 an end view of a connnercial, metallic step ladder equipped with the mechanism of this invention.

Figure 3 is a detailed side View, partially in section of the foot belonging to the left hand upright of the ladder as seen in Figure 1.

Figure 4; is a sectional, detail View on the line 41-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional plan view on the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the foot of Figures 3 to 5. inclusive, removed from all other devices.

While the mechanism of this invention is adaptable to various sorts of metallic furniture, it is for convenience here shown as applied to a commercial form of metallic step ladder having the ladder uprights 10 carrying steps 12, the top of the ladder having pivoted to it at its rear, inclined brace members 14, held in suitable relation with root" Fo-R METAL FURNITURE.

1994. Serial No. 724,207.

the ladder proper by collapsible links 16 of conventional form.

The bottom of each upright 10 of the ladder is equipped with one of the feet of this invention, the same including an upright flange 18 suitably secured-preferably by weldingto the bottom portion of the upwardly extending flange of the upright.

Integral with the flange 18 at right angles to its bottom edge is a floor engaging plate 20, having rounded edges 24 formed along one marginal portion of the plate by flange 18 and along its remaining marginal portions by an upturned flange 22, which latter constitutes an integral extension of flange 18 as clearly shown in Figure 6. This construction manifestly avoids all sharp edges or corners that might cut into 01' mar a floor and imparts maximum rigidity and strength to the device.

The flange 22 is provided at one convenient point with a downwardly cut notch 26 through which any water or other liquid which may inadvertently find its way into the space on top of plate 20 and inside flange 22 may readily escape, thus preventing the rusting of the foot through the continued presence of such liquid.

The rear brace members 1 1 of the ladder are equipped with feet 30 differing from those on upright members 10 only as required to fit the diiferent structural shapes constituting the members 14.

In the use of the metal feet of this invention on step ladders and the like, the broad undersurfaces of the plates 20, terminating in the upturned curves 24 are wholly incapable of cutting into the floor surface on which they rest, and the plates 20 are of large enough area so that they slip like a sled runner over the floor when it is desired to move the article of furniture to which they are attached.

The foot device can be made by conventional stamping operations at comparatively small expense and attached by welding or the like as described to the floor engaging portions of the furniture at very much less expense than the lower ends of such uprights, as 10, can be finished in a manner to prevent their injuring the floor.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A foot for furniture formed from a. sin

gle blank of sheet metal cut and stamped to provide a large flat plate for floor engagement, a single flange rising from one edge of said plate for attachment to a leg of an article of furniture, and a 10W upturned flange rising from the remaining edges of the plate cooperating with said attaching flange to provide rounded edges adapted to prevent cutting or marring of a floor by the plate, the low upturned flange having adrainage opening formed therein and otherwise being continuous and forming an integral extension of said attaching flange. 7

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

FERNANDO J. LE BEAU 

